OXFORD TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15917, 2 June 1917, Page 5

OXFORD TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

' orFICIAL OPENING. At Oxford on Thursday afternoon, the official opening of tho Technical School, which was built towards tho closo of last year, took placo. This building consists of two class-rooms, 30 by 19 feet, and a store OJ feet by 0 feet, and porch. The building i 3 of wood on concrete foundations, and has iv 10ft Gin stud. It cost £392, including water supply and drain a go, and the cort of fittings and furniture amounted to £164. Tho rooms have been erectcd principally for I lis teaching oi cookery and agricultural ecier.ee, and aro eminently suited for tho pun>cse. The ecoondary department of the Gchool is permanently housed in the science room. Among -those present wero: —Mr C. H. Opie (chairman ct tho Canterbury Education Board), tho Hon. D. Buddo, M.l'., Messrs 0. Peniingi.cn (archi!<3ct to the Education Bocrd). Mr W. Martin (Agricultural Instructor). M«ears Bruce Stevenson (Agricultural Instructor) and C. H. Hargreaves ("Woodwork Instructor), together with the chairmen of tlio school committees in the dietrjji. Mr D. .Newman (chairman of tho Oxford School Committee) presided, and there wag a good attendance of tho public. function was held on tho lawn in front of the institution.

Mr Opie, in tho course of an interesting address, said tlio meeting formed an epoch to the oducational history of the district. After pointing out the difficulties nlet with in th» «rfa.b!ishinent of the school, ho urged that everything Bhould bo dono to make country life, with its activities, attractive. While tho tendency -towards centralising control, ho thought tho practice that obtained largely in Canada, and soma of the. American states of centralising education, by bavin;? Icrgo central ncliools ra tli'.-L than a large uumber of small ones, was a good or.e. Tho result would bo a better etutf, better equipment, and bettor education. In this country, however, such a p-opcia] met wit'" opposition from the parents, who liked to have a school in their own neighbourhood, lie aßked hearty support for tho school. He compared the genera', the vocational, ivnd tbo academic sido of the education in a- district hisb school taking a rurul course, and showed how each had 'a dir-'c* bearing o:i the lifo of pupils in th<» country. 'J'Uo Hon. D. Buddo, M.P., after congratulating the district on its advancement, - rotten ed to the, fact that in general tho beet men gravitated from the smaller oentrcc of population. ' 11c was pleased la meet tha peonle of Oxford, and pratifiod to see them so handily mipporling their own school. By this institution Oxford would come to have a lr.ncfi larger influence on the district's activities. In nddroesincr the boya and friria, he urged them to make the best of their opi/ortuiiilics. Mr L. Watfon (IK-admne'.er) spoke briefly, i aiul expressed tho hope -that the school would I bscome the oentro of agricultural jntercats in the district. lie urged the association of the cchool with rural activities, and bespoke mutual co-operadijn between the farmers and the aclicol for mutual tone fit. Air W. ilartin deooribed and defined the aim of tbo rural course, and .tnc- system of agricultural education. It was no-i proposed to tcach farming—that could bo loarnu>d only on tbo farm—but to teach tko pupils scientific and observational methods, and thun fit them mora effectively to take up farming pursuits, and to tako up occupations incidental to rural life. The Boards instructors were prepared to confer with far-m:-w in regard to x mattc-Ts concerning their activities ai>d to assist ihem wherever possibl?. He- thought that and funnors wovkinK :u harmony would achieve bettor results than each working independently of tho other. An adjournment was then made to tlio technical room, wl:ere i--o ladled dispensed efle-mocn tea-, and tho boys of tho secondary d«n-jrtment gav« diiiilay of milk-testing with Bab cock teeter?, and Me-wrs Mar tin and Stevcuro.n had an opportunity of thd farm-srs present.